1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus provided with a lock releasing arm for depressing a lock releasing switch on a front cover of a cassette.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional video cassette recorder (magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus), supporting of a cassette until the cassette is loaded by a cassette loading mechanism is carried out by a flat spring that presses the cassette. FIG. 4 is a plan perspective view of a portion of a video cassette recorder showing a state where a cassette is inserted. FIG. 5 is a side view of the main part of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a plan perspective view of the cassette and a lock releasing arm shown in FIG. 4.
In FIG. 4, the portion illustrated by a bold line represents a cassette 10, and an arrow “A” represents the direction of inserting the cassette 10. Within the cassette 10, a lock piece 12 equipped with a lock releasing switch 11 for a front cover is provided as shown in FIG. 6. The lock releasing switch 11 exposed to outside through a hole 13. The front cover cannot be opened unless the lock releasing switch 11 is depressed.
The video cassette recorder 20 includes a holder 21 on which the cassette 10 is placed when it is inserted, a projection 22a which comes into contact with the front cover of the cassette 10 for positioning the cassette 10, a flat spring 23 for pressing the upper face of the cassette 10 in a direction of arrow “B” to support the cassette 10, and a lock releasing arm 24 equipped with a claw 24a and urged in a counter clock wise direction in FIG. 4 for depressing the lock releasing switch 11 when the cassette 10 is inserted.
An explanation will be given of a process of inserting the cassette 10 into the video cassette recorder 20. The cassette 10, while it is pressed by the flat spring 23, is inserted by a user. At almost the same time as the front cover of the cassette 10 is brought into contact with the projection 22a, the lock releasing switch 11 is depressed by the claw 24a of the lock releasing arm 24. Thereafter, the cassette 10 is automatically loaded.
Such a vide cassette recorder is disclosed in, e.g., JP-UM-7-19820.
In the manual process until the cassette 10 is automatically loaded, the cassette 10 is not completely fixed. This will be explained referring to FIG. 5. The cassette 10 is supported by the projection 22a in an inserting direction (arrow “A”), and supported by the flat spring 23 in the direction of arrow “B”. However, the cassette 10 can be easily moved in an ejecting direction (arrow “C”). Even in a case where the lock releasing arm 24 is engaged with the hole 13, since there is a play (space) between the hole 13 and the claw 24a, the cassette 10 may move to the corresponding degree in the direction of arrow “C”.
After the cassette 10 is inserted by the user and the lock releasing switch 11 is depressed, the cassette 10 is automatically loaded. However, in a case where the cassette 10 shifts by the degree of the play in the direction of arrow “C” immediately before the cassette 10 is automatically loaded, a problem occurs that the cassette 10 may not be loaded at a prescribed position.